Combined fertilizer-distributer and corn-planter.



No. 720,420. I I PATEN'I'ED FEB. 10, 1903-.

, LEROY 0. GILLESPIE. COMBINED FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER AND 001m PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13, 1902. HOMODBL. ZSHEETS SHEBT 1.

suuonfoz No. 720,420. PATENTED PEB.10,19-03.

' LEROY 0. GILLESPIE COMBINED FERTILIZER DISTRIBUTER AND CORN PLANTER.

- APPLIGATION FILED-D3013, 1902. I

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NITED "STATES PAT NT OFFIcE;

LE ROY C. GILLESPIE, OF BROWNSVILLE, TENNESSEE.

COMBINED FE ET'ILlZER- DLISTRIBUTER AND CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N; 720,420, dated February10, 1903. Application filed December 13, 1902. Serial No. 135,155. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that 1, LE ROY C. GILLEsPIE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Brownsville, in the countyof Haywood and State of Tennessee, have invented new and usefulImprovements in a Combined Ferti lizer-Distributer. and Corn-Planter, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined fertilizer-distributor andcorn-planter; and the purpose of the same is to provide a simple andefiective arrangement of elements so applied in operative relation thata portion of the same may be detached and removed to convert theimproved device from a fertilizerdistributer into a corn-p1anter withoutdetracting from the effectiveness of the machine in' either condition,and thereby materially reduce the cost of agricultural machines byhaving one complete organization capable of:

use either as a fertilizer-distributer or cornplanter by a simple changeof parts not requiring mechanical skill and readily understood by anyone.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement ofthe severalparts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying thefeatures of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a top plan View thereof. Fig. 4 is a transversevertical section taken in the plane of the line 4 4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is adetail perspective view of a cut-off slide used in regulating theoutflow of the fertilizer or deposit of the seed from the hopper.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The numeral 1 designates a frame which in the present instance isrectangular in form, and connecting with the front extremity thereof isa draft-bar 2, having an eye or other analogous device 3 in advance ofthe front end of the frame for the attachment thereto of draft devices.A hopper 4 is socured on the frame 1, and in the bottom 5 thereof is anoutlet-opening 6, preferably located at the longitudinal center thereof.In rear of the hopper 4 a broad-tread carryingwheel 7 is mounted on arotatable drive shaft or axleS, the wheel being disposed centrally inrelation to the side bars of the frame and the ends of the shaft or axleprojected beyond the said bars. On one end of theshaft or axle is acrank 9, and on the opposite end a sprocket-wheel 10 is secured. As ameans for conveniently directing the movement of the machine over theground-surface handle-bars 11 are secured to the side bars of the frameat a suitable point and project upwardly at an angle of inclination andtermimate in rear of the rear end of the frame 1, suitable braces 12being attached to the handle-bars and the adjacent portions of the framebelow. Below the hopper a spout 13 depends and continues into afurrow-opener 14, which curves upwardly and connects to the frontcentral portion of the frame 1. The spout 13 has the upper portionthereof bent at anangle and secured to the bottom of the hopper and theside bars of the frame 1, and in the front portion thereof is a slot oropening 15 to. accommodate the rotation of a rotary feed-disk 16, whichis vertically disposed and suitably keyed-on ashaft l7, journaled in abearing-b02118, secured to the under side of one of the side bars of theframe 1. The shaft 17 projects through an opening 19in the spout 13, andon the-inner extremity of said shaft the disk 16 is mounted andcentrally held by a stop-collar 20 thereon firmly bearing against theinner side of the box 18. The disk l6 is formed with a series of pockets21, and in operation the said disk rotates in the slot 6 in the bottomof the hopper 4, the said slot being just large enough to permit therotation of the disk therein without permitting the fertilizer or cornin the hopper from escaping through any part of the slot. On the outerend of the shaft 17 a sprocket-wheel 22 is keyed and alined with thesprocket-wheel 10 on the shaft 8. In advance of the hopper 4 and securedto one of the side bars of the frame 1 is a stub shaft 23,-on which anidlersprocket 24 is rotatably mounted, and surrounding the sprocket 10,passing under the sprocket 22, and surrounding the sprocket 24 is achain belt 25, by means of which motion is conveyed from the shaft 8 tothe shaft 17. As the machine is propelled or drawn forwardly over theground-surface the shaft or axle 8 is rotated and through the mechanismjust described the disk 16 is correspondingly actuated to bringsuccessive pockets up through the bottom of the hopper 4 to receiveeither fertilizer or corn or other seed. In some instances it may bedesired to substitute one disk for another having pockets of differentsize to adapt the machine for use in planting difierent kinds of seed orin distributing fertilizer in different quantities, and it will beunderstood that a number of disks may be used and will be furnished inconnection with the machine in some makes of the same, but ordinarilyone disk will suffice for general usage.

The feed of the fertilizer or seed from the hopper 4 can be controlledat will through the medium of a cut-0d slide 26, pivoted at its frontend to the center of the bottom of the hopper in advance of the slot 6and having an arcuate member 27 to fit over the portion of the disk 16which projects upwardly through the bottom of the hopper. One edge ofthe arcuate member 27 is formed at an angle of inclination, as at 28, toadapt the slide to clear the pockets of the disk without requiring toogreat lateral movement of said slide to arrive at this result. The rearextremity of the slide is movable through a slot 29 in the rear wall ofthe hopper, close to the bottom of the latter, and has a projectinghandle 30 within convenient reaching distance of the operator, the saidhandle being cut away, as at 31, to avoid engagement or interferencewith the wheel 7 when the slide is closed.

The upper portion of one side of the hopper 4 has a vertical slot 32,opening out through the upper edge thereof and having its lower terminalwall in line with an opening 33 diametrically opposite in the other sidewall of the hopper. In this slot and opening 33 an agitator is removablymounted and comprises a rock shaft or bar 34, with a trunnion 35 at oneend, removably fitted in the opening 33, and a crank 36 at the oppositeend, freely withdrawable from and insertible in the slot 32. Extendingdownwardly from the rock shaft or bar 34 are a series of radialagitater-arms 37, which depend over the disk 16, and as the shaft or bar34 is oscillated the arms 37 prevent the fertilizer from clogging overthe said disk. Connected to the crank 36 and the crank 9 is a pitman ordriving rod 38, the fastening devices between the opposite ends of saidpitman or driving rod and the cranks being freely removable, so that theagitator, with its cooperating parts, may be withdrawn from the hopperwhen the machine is used for planting purposes. The crank 36 ismaterially longer than the crank 9, and, in fact, said crank is soproportioned that a revolution of the crank 9 will cause an oscillationof the crank 36, and by this means the arms 37 are always retained inthe fertilizer.

As will now be understood, when the machine is used as afertilizer-distributor the agitator will be disposed in the hopper, asshown, and connected to the crank 9 by the pitman 38, and during thepropulsion of the machine or the movement thereof over theground-surface after the slide 26 has been opened the fertilizer will beregularly dis tributed by the disk 16 through the hopper 13 over theground-surface or in the furrow formed by the furrow-opener 14. Inplanting the agitator and its cooperating parts are withdrawn from thehopper and the seed desired to be deposited is placed in the hopper 4and through the medium of the disk 16 is regularly dropped through thespout 13 into the furrow formed by the furrow-opener 14. Thecarrying-wheel 7 not only provides a stable supporting means for themachine as an entirety, but also serves as a furrow-coverer by reason ofthe location thereof in the center of the machine behind the spout andin longitudinal alinement with the furrowopener.

The improved machine will be found exceptionally useful for the purposefor which it has been devised, and changes in the proportions anddimensions thereof, as well as the minor details, may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1.In a machine of the class set forth, the combination of a frame, an axlerotatably secured to the frame, aoarrying-wheel mounted on the axle onthe center of the frame, a hopper mounted on the frame in advance of thecarrying-wheel and having a slot in the bottom thereof, a spout securedto the bottom of the'hopper and continuing into a forwardly-proj ectingfurrow-opener, a shaft projecting transversely into the spout and havinga disk thereon rising through the slot in the bottom of the hopper, thesaid disk being formed with pockets, means for operating the said shaftand disk from the axle, and an agitator removably mounted in the hopperand detachably connected to said axle.

2. In a machine of the class set forth, the combination of a frame, ahopper supported thereon, a spout depending from the hopper andcontinuing into a furrow-opener, a feeddisk rotatably mounted at thebottom portion of the hopper and exposed through the latter, a slidepivoted at its front end to the hopper and having an arcuate member tocover a portion of the disk, one side edge of the memher being inclinedto vary the Width of the said member from its front to its rearextremity, and a carrying-wheel attatched to the frame.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LE ROY G. GILLESPIE.

Witnesses:

H. H. DICKINSON, R. G. EVANS.

